Honoring Sacred Heart's history with the Marist Community
Marist Chapel of St. Peter Chanel
We have created an adoration chapel to the right of the altar to recognize and honor the legacy of the Marist Brothers in building this Basilica in 1897-98, founding Marist College (now Marist School) on this site in 1901, and stewarding the parish for almost 70 years, the chapel is named The Marist Chapel of St. Peter Chanel.
Lighting – Incorporating two lanterns from the Basilica creates a warm and inviting atmosphere for worship and reflection. Additional recessed lighting enhances reading and highlight the monstrance, drawing attention to its liturgical significance.
Painting and Decorating – The decorative scheme for the chapel highlights the wall behind the monstrance.
Liturgical Furnishings – The monstrance stand is crafted from three elements sourced from the Basilica. The marble top and alabaster columns are taken from the old high altar, and the brass front is from the ambo. Together, these components create a reverent and beautiful stand for the monstrance.
Flooring – Incorporating marble from the sanctuary establishes a visual connection between this intimate reservation chapel and the main sanctuary, which enhances the Marist Chapel’s significance within the Basilica.
Recognition Opportunities
- Design and redecorate – $40,000
- Develop and construct a monstrance stand – $30,000
- Marian monstrance – $25,000
- Stained glass window featuring Bishop Joel M. Konzen, SM, for the chapel door – Reserved
- Stained glass window featuring Bishop John E. Gunn, SM, for the chapel door – Reserved
- Retrofit and refurbish two pendant lanterns from the nave – $12,500
- Original oil painting depicting St. Peter Chanel, SM – $10,000
- Original oil painting depicting St. Teresa of Calcutta – Reserved
- Carrara marble flooring – $10,000
- Restore historic Marist kneelers – $7,500
- Refurbish St. Teresa of Calcutta pew – $5,000
The Marist Chapel Monstrance Stand
The Monstrance Stand located in the Marist Chapel was designed to incorporate materials and elements from the patrimony of the old Ambo and the old altar, unifying them within the new liturgical vocabulary of stained walnut, which is present throughout the sanctuary.
The walnut’s higher-quality finish and color distinguish these elements from the nave and pews, emphasizing their importance. The overall goal was to create a reverent piece that honors the past through the reuse of historical elements while connecting to the present and future through the walnut material.
The Two Historic Lantern Lamps (restored)
The two lantern lamps that are hung in the Marist Chapel date from 1930 when new lighting was added to Sacred Heart Church, now the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The lantern fixtures have been restored and updated to state-of-the-art technology including both lighting enhancements and energy efficiency upgrades. The lanterns are connected and controlled through the same programmable system that is part of the redecorating project.
The work in 1930 was done by Rambusch lighting, and now 95 years later the same family owned and operated firm, co-led by the grandson of the founder Edwin Rambusch, provided the lighting restoration and upgrades.
By restoring and re-using these beautiful and historic lanterns we are continuing to stress the importance of the church’s patrimony, which may be described as made up of those items and artifacts that have been brought into existence through the generous gifts and personal sacrifices of the faithful for the devotional life of the people.
The Chapel Carrara Marble Floor
Like the Basilica Sanctuary, the floor of the Marist Chapel of St. Peter Chanel is of white Italian Bianco Carrara Gioia marble. This marble is from the same vein as that used in the Sanctuary and thus is an exact match. Carrara Gioia white marble is defined by its understated elegance, seen in the luminous surface, with a notably cool white background, and delicate gray veining.
Marble was chosen because of its durability, beauty, and timelessness.
Importantly, white marble was selected because it radiates calmness and serenity, particularly appropriate in a chapel used for Eucharistic Adoration. The white marble floor of the Marist Chapel glows and disperses the light in every direction, lending the space a heavenly ambiance.
The Historic Marist Kneelers (restored)
The historic and beautiful brass prie-dieu kneelers that reside in the Marist Chapel of St. Peter Chanel date from the early 1900’s. These kneelers are referred to as “prie-dieu” literally “pray to God” in French, as they are a type of prayer desk.
The kneelers were the gift of Mrs. William J. Burns of Pittsburgh, a benefactor of both the Marist’s and Sacred Heart Church. Her other gifts include the Baptismal font and several stained-glass windows.
There are six kneelers, four in the chapel and two held in reserve for weddings. During the redecoration, all the kneelers were disassembled, cleaned, restored, polished, and then re-assembled with spectacular results. The kneeler pads and the armrests have also been recovered in gold and white fabric to compliment the chapel decor.
The Saint Teresa of Calcutta Pew (restored)
She once said, “By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.” By an act of Congress, she was granted Honorary Citizenship in the United States in 1996 (one of only 8 so honored, two of whom were granted it while still living – the other being Winston Churchill).
On June 12, 1995, while visiting Atlanta for the opening of the gift of Grace House, (where her Sisters, to this day, minister to homeless women with HIV/AIDS within our parish boundaries), Mother Teresa attended Mass and spoke at the Basilica. She is the patroness of World Youth Day and the Missionaries of Charity, intimately united to those for whom she had spent her life.
During her visit to Sacred Heart, Mother Teresa delivered beautiful and memorable remarks from the lectern. It was noted in the Atlanta Journal the next day that she was “barely taller than the lectern she stood behind”. The pew she used when at the Basilica has been refurbished and is in the Marist Chapel.
Portraits of Saint Peter Chanel, SM & St. Teresa of Calcutta
Paintings of St. Peter Chanel and St. Teresa of Calcutta (familiar to us as Mother Teresa) are on the walls that flank the stand for the monstrance.
Oil paintings by Cathy Ehrler, long-time Sacred Heart parishioner and local artist.
The Marist Chapel of St. Peter Chanel provides a fitting and beautiful space where the Basilica parishioners and others can worship God through eucharistic adoration and deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ.
The chapel is entered from the Sanctuary using the existing, refinished doors with the addition of stained glass, similar to these, to honor Bishop Gunn, our first pastor, and The Most Reverend Joel M. Konzen, S.M., Auxiliary Bishop of Atlanta, and former president of Marist School.
